Railway stock-guard.



PATENTED FEB. 20, 1906.

L. LIESMANN. RAILWAY STOCK GUARD. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 29, 1905.

WT NESSES# f iTnn STATES PATENT cierren.

LOUIS LIESMANN, OF DIXON, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO FRED VVELOH AND ONE-FIFTH TO W. F. CARTER, OF DIXON, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY STOCK-GUARD.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20, 1906.

Application tiled March 29,1905. Serial No. 252,709.

To all whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, LOUIS LIESMANN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dixon, in the county vof Pulaski and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Stock-Guards, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had tov the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to improvements in railway stock-guards in which av swinging plate or trap operates in conjunction with a bent approach-plate to throw into vertical position a swinging guard.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide an approach-plate which is so constructed as that `the feet of the intruding animal are deiiected onto the hinged plate or trap, thus erecting the hinged guard and at the same time permitting the retirement of the animal without becoming entangled in the mechanism of the guard; second, to provide a guard which will prevent the passage of animals, but which will permit the passage of trains in both directions without injuring any part. of the guard.

My invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more clearly set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illus- 1 trated in the accompanying drawings, 1n which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved guard in osition on the ties and between the rails ofJ a railway-track. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of a railwaytrack, my improved guard being shown thereon with the hinged plate and guard in a vertical position.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 1 1 indicate the ties, and 2 the rails, of the railway-track. 'Positioned on one of the ties between the rails is a metallic plate 3, bent into the form of a letter A, and the apex of said plate occupies approximately the same horizontal plane as do the tops of the rails 2. This plate 3 is provided along one edge with a downwardly-extending lip 4, which is secured to the tie by means of screws or bolts or in any suitable manner. The opposite edge of this plate is provided with an integral curved plate 5, which extends from the upper corner of the tie to which the plate 3 is lixed to the lower corner of the adjacent tie. Secured to the upper corner of the tie adjacent the tie to which the plate 3 is iixed and just inside the rails 2 are the bearings 6. Hinged to said bearings is a swinging plate or trap 7, that extends laterally and terminates on a line adjacent the surface of the curved plate 5. Thus when said swinging plate or trap is in a horizontal position it covers the space between the tie to which the plate 3 is fixed and the tie to which the bearings 6 are iixed. Formed integral with the Side of this plate 7, that is hinged to the bearings 6, is a pair of arms 8, in the outer ends of which are j ournaled the ends of a rock-shaft 9. Fixed to this shaft 9 is a plurality of rods 10, that normally lie in the same plane with the plate 7, but extend in the opposite direction therefrom.

Secured to the rock-shaft 9 are the outer ,ends of retractilc coil-springs 11, the opposite ends of which are Secured to the' edge of the plate 7 between the bearings 6.

The space between the ties on the side of the tie to which the plate 3 is fixed opposite from the curved plate 5 is left unfilled with the dirt or gravel surrounding the ties of the railway-track. I

The weight of the rods 10-and rock-shaft 9 is greater than the weight of the plate 7. Therefore said parts will normally maintain a horizontal position, as seen in Fig. 1.

The feet of an animal approaching my improved guard will when placed on the plate 3 be deflected thereby downwardly in one direction or the other, and should the animals feet pass downwardly into the unfilled space between the ties in front of the guard the sudden movement downwardly will tend to prevent further forward movement of the animal. Should, however, the feet of the animal pass downwardly onto the opposite side of the plate 3, the swingirg plate or trap 7 will be engaged and swung downwardly into an approximate vertical position, and as a result the shaft 9 and rods 10, carried thereby, will be swung upward into a vertical position to prevent the further forward movement of the animal. As soon as an animal withdraws from the guard the swir ging parts will at once reassume their horizontal positions. Should, however, the plate 7 and rods 10 for any reason remain in a vertical position, the springs 11 will readily yield to lOO allow the rods '10 to swing in either direction when struck by passing trainsx This action prevents injury to the guard and at the same time prevents injury to animals struck by the rods 10 when the guard is thrown into a vertical position. The curved plate 5 prevents the animals feet from becoming caught beneath the edge of the plate 7 and the crosstie and also causes the feet to assume such a position as to make another forward step very difficult.

A guard of my improved construction is` l of the approach-plate, and a guard mounted to swing on one edge ofy the pivoted plate substantially as specified.

3. In a railway stock-guard, an approachplate having two inclined faces, a curved plate integral with one edge of the approachplate, a plate hinged at one edge above the lower end of the curved plate, and a yielding guard pivotally secured to one edge of the hinged plate; substantially as specilied.

4. In a railway stock-guard, an approachplate having two inclined faces, a plate hinged at one edge and overhanging one side of the approach-plate, a rod pivotally secured to one side of the hinged late, rods proj ecting laterally `from the pivota ly-mounted rod, and retractile coil-springs arranged between the pivoted rodand the edge of the hinged plate; substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

LOUIS LIESMANN.

Witnesses:

FREDERIC WELCH, WILLIAM CHEETwooD CARTER. 

